I Have a King, Who Does Not Speak
poem 103
I Have a King, Who Does Not Speak - meaning Summary
Hidden Sovereign of Inner Life
The speaker describes an inward sovereign — a silent King whose presence shapes daily moods. By day she moves meekly; at night dreams open private parlors where she encounters exaltation: waking feels like drums, shouts and bells of victory. When that inner visit fails, the world is muted, prayer is neglected, and her own will asserts itself, which she likens to a moral breach. The poem maps spiritual intimacy and its moral consequences.
Read Complete AnalysesI have a King, who does not speak So wondering thro’ the hours meek I trudge the day away Half glad when it is night, and sleep, If, haply, thro’ a dream, to peep In parlors, shut by day. And if I do when morning comes It is as if a hundred drums Did round my pillow roll, And shouts fill all my Childish sky, And Bells keep saying Victory From steeples in my soul! And if I don’t the little Bird Within the Orchard, is not heard, And I omit to pray Father, thy will be done today For my will goes the other way, And it were perjury!
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